In a grim turn of events, prosecutors are pursuing the death penalty for two women accused of the murder of a 9-year-old girl under their care. The tragic incident involved the child being placed in a tote bag and discarded along a riverbank.

The accused, Kourtney Eutsey, 31, and Sarah Shipley, 35, face charges of first-degree murder for the death of young Renesmay Eutsey. Both women are now at the center of a legal storm as the Fayette County District Attorney’s Office in Pennsylvania has filed notices of aggravated circumstances. This legal maneuver means that if the two women are convicted, they could potentially face the death penalty.

The case came to light when Renesmay was reported missing on September 3, sparking a search by the Pennsylvania State Police. The investigation led to a grim discovery: the child’s body was found concealed in a bag on the banks of the Youghiogheny River, as reported by Law&Crime.

Kourtney Eutsey, who was both a blood relative and the legal guardian of Renesmay, was also responsible for her own young children during this tragic period. Sarah Shipley shared legal guardianship of the girl, compounding the complexity and emotional weight of the case.

Kourtney Eutsey is described as being a blood relative of the girl as well as her legal guardian and foster mother, and she was also caring for her own young children at the time of Renesmay’s death. Shipley was also a legal guardian of the victim.

As officers were preparing to search Eutsey’s home for any signs of Renesmay, a small child allegedly approached them and “apologized for not telling the truth” about what allegedly happened to Renesmay, an affidavit reviewed by Law&Crime says.

“I’m never going to see my baby sister again because she’s in heaven,” the child told officers, alleging that Kourtney Eutsey killed Renesmay and then put her body in a tote, per the affidavit.

The sibling claimed to have “overheard” Kourtney Eutsey talking with another adult — later alleged to be Shipley — about taking Renesmay to a river “far, far away.”

The court document goes on: “[The child] stated that the only reason she came out of the room she was in was because she heard the victim screaming and crying and thought she needed help with something.”

Eutsey and Shipley were allegedly “yelling at the victim and kicked her in her stomach,” the affidavit alleges. The sibling reportedly told investigators: “[Renesmay] is dead now. I’m never gonna see her again. I miss her. She probably is alive. She might be alive.”

Renesmay weighed just 45 pounds when police found her on Sept. 4, according to officials.

The deceased child’s body showed signs of abuse and neglect, as well as cigarette burns, including one that “might have become infected,” although the girl reportedly never received medical treatment.

The women are alleged to have abused other children in the house, too, in a manner described by law enforcement as torture.

Two of the children had missing teeth, which a doctor said was caused by teeth being pulled by pliers. The kids told the doctor that Shipley had pulled the teeth, according to local ABC affiliate WTAE.

The children were homeschooled, yet an 11-year-old girl living at the women’s home did not know how to read, authorities said. A 6-year-old boy was reportedly chronically malnourished and dehydrated when doctors saw him.

The other children who were in the home when the defendants were arrested have been placed under the care of another family member, according to authorities.

Renesmay’s biological mother was confounded by the alleged actions of the defendants.

“Why put her in a tote, in a garbage bag, and throw her away like she didn’t mean anything?” asked Christina Benedetto in an interview with local CBS affiliate KDKA. “She meant something, at least to us,” Benedetto said. “She meant everything to us.”